


Four times Cassandra took care of Ezekiel and One Time She Didn't

by Azure_Lynx



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, My accident prone precious, So much sickness omg, Whump, and injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-08 17:47:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11086749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Azure_Lynx/pseuds/Azure_Lynx
Summary: She does her best to take care of him. He's always getting into scrapes. But he appreciates her, and all that she does, until she can't do it anymore.





	Four times Cassandra took care of Ezekiel and One Time She Didn't

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fangirlandtheories](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlandtheories/gifts).



_1\. The Flu_

“Ezekiel, you’re boiling hot!” 

“Heh. Thanks, Cassie.” He offered a weak smile, swaying under her hand pressed to his forehead. “Really, I promise you I’m fine.”

“You must be like a hundred and one degrees!” She pulled her hand away and wiped in on her skirt. He must’ve gotten her sweaty. Oops.

He shrugged. “Nothing a cold shower can’t fix.” He waved his hand dismissively, trying to appear firmer than he felt. He didn’t need her nursing him or anything, just a bit of a nap. He was feeling pretty exhausted, but it was a rough mission they’d just come back from.

He took two steps before he was doubled over, coughing up his lungs on the ground. This, he could admit, was not normal.

She was at his side in an instant, and he wanted to reassure her he was okay, but he couldn’t stop coughing. He hated making her worry, feeling like a burden.

Under her breath, she was mumbling something, but he couldn’t hear it. To his surprise, in the next instant, she scooped him up as though he weighed nothing - which maybe he did, because he’d been skipping meals here and there, nothing purposeful he didn’t think, just forgetting - and carried him through the library. 

He wasn’t sure where they were going. Her touch was cool against his flaming flesh, and for that he was grateful. He tried to think about that instead of about how much he hurt. 

There was a bathroom, now, with cream tiles and bright pink rugs. Maybe it was her bathroom. Maybe the library just invented rooms as they were needed. Either way, his vision was wavy as she gently set him on the ground again and he groaned. 

Everything hurt and he kind of wanted to die. Just to make it go away. 

The bath she was drawing sounded like a waterfall, torrents pouring down into the tub below. Gently, ever so gently, she undressed him, and in any other moment he’d probably wisecrack or maybe even make a pass at her, if he was feeling bold, but now he just groaned again, letting her work. 

His clothes in a pile beside him, she lifted him into the bath. Instantly, he was cooler, and he thought he could feel the fever subsiding rapidly, though probably not. Still, he felt better. 

Weakly, he gripped her hand. “Thank you,” he rasped through a still-raw throat.

She tutted. “Take care of yourself, ya dingbat.” But he knew she was worried, and the warmth he felt wasn’t from the fever.

_2\. Scraped Knees and Palms_

Ezekiel Jones was flying, and then just as quickly, he was falling heavily, dashed against the gravel.

He had fallen off his skateboard, trying to impress her. Like an idiot. Everything smarted, and he _thought_ his wrist might be sprained. Which would suck. All for a girl.

Cassandra, to her merit, was giggling a little bit, shaking her head. He wondered what she thought of him as she opened up her purse and pulled out some antiseptic wipes. 

“That was impressive.” She sounded genuine, and he was a little surprised. He had looked like an absolute fool; what could she be impressed with? “I would’ve walked away from that with broken bones. You’re very resilient, Ezekiel.”

Resilience. Well, at least she admired something. His knees were all scraped up, and her affection didn’t make it sting any less as she cleaned them off. Next she moved onto his hands, carefully taking gravel out of all the cuts.

His knees and palms were on fire, but so was his heart. 

She moved his hand and he hissed in pain. It seemed a little more likely that his wrist was sprained. She tsked and held it carefully, feeling around the circumference for any irregularities that might indicate a break. He wanted her to keep holding it forever.

“I was gonna ask you out to dinner,” he admitted sheepishly. “After I did something cool.”

“Yes.”

“What?”

“I accept.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze, but her small smile caused one of his own. “Just please try not to do anything stupid next time.”

_3\. Poison Ivy_

Snickering. “Look down, Ezekiel.” Flynn sounded almost smug, and Ezekiel was not pleased. He glanced down and swore loudly, so long and loud that Cassandra giggled and Jake raised an eyebrow.

“I _hate_ poison ivy!” He groaned, knowing damn well that the itching would start soon. Already he could feel it spreading across his exposed flesh.

Flynn was already hugging his knees, howling with laughter. It almost made Ezekiel wonder which of them had been the werewolf a couple weeks ago. 

He absently reached down to scratch his leg, more out of psychological distress than physical need, before pulling back with a strangled cry. There was more to where he had danced out of trouble, and it was tickling his arms and neck. He was going to be absolutely _miserable_ that evening. 

He was supposed to take Cassandra out to dinner. Dear god, today of all days. He’d have to cancel. This was the third time, and he was damn sure she’d give up on him soon. His one shot with the girl he loved, gone. 

It’s not that he thought she’d find someone better, exactly - she’d been very clear she wasn’t looking for exclusivity. But if he kept proving to be such a flake, however unintentionally, she’d leave. They always did. 

Two hours of sulking later, they finally left the forest. Ezekiel was not pleased, and Cassandra was giving him a wide berth, babbling about oils and contamination. He snapped at her when she came close, and the look on her face hurt worse than the itching that was starting to set in.

He locked himself in a bathroom when he got back to the library. Specifically, his and Cassandra’s, which they’d begun to share since he had come down with the flu. He was just kind of sitting on the closed toilet, trying not to scratch, and feeling sorry for himself. 

She’d looked crushed when he said they couldn’t go out tonight. Only for three seconds, before she masterfully concealed her emotions and told him she understood. He was impressed, honestly - it was the best poker face he’d seen besides his own. 

And then he’d left, ignoring her calling after him. In the bathroom, he’d stripped down to his boxers, as all other fabric was too irritating. He didn’t really know what to do, and he’d left his phones - all of them - out of the bathroom. It was pride, as well as a desire to not walk practically naked through the library, that kept him from going to find them. But that also meant he had no internet connection and no idea what to do, besides sulking.

Sulking was very unbecoming of Ezekiel Jones, but at least he was self-aware.

With a _click_ , the door swung open and Cassandra stepped in. Ezekiel frowned at her and her full arms. 

“Ever heard of knocking?” 

“I'm here to help you, Mr. Grumpy Pants, so calm the heck down.” She stalked over to the bathtub and began to fill it, tension evident in her shoulders. “You've been an absolute _jerk_ to me today, so I don't know why I'm even here.”

He felt shame, cold and heavy in his stomach. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“You should be.” She shook baking soda into the bath. “This is an old remedy my mother used to use when I broke out in hives.” She stepped back. “Get in the bath.”

“With you in here?” he asked, blushing slightly. They hadn’t even been on their second date yet.

She shrugged. “Unless you don’t want me.”

He did. He stripped down, on his own this time unlike before, and stepped into the bath. It felt soothing. 

“I’m sorry, Cassie.” He sunk down into the water.

“You are forgiven.” The tension melted from her shoulders. “You were being the kind of mean you are when you’re scared. You don’t have to tell me why, but I just want you to know I don’t care how many times you cancel or postpone unless you’re telling me you don’t wanna go out.”

“I want to,” he reassured her. “How could I give up a girl who takes such good care of me?”

“I do hope you’ll return the favor someday,” she teased. He hoped that day never came.

_4\. Drowning_

They were finally on their date. He’d taken her to a small island off the north coast of Queensland, on a whim, and they were swimming. She had rarely been swimming, she revealed to him; her parents were too protective for that sort of thing. 

He had to remedy this immediately. 

So a small, barely-inhabited island seemed like a good way to go. They packed their bags and went, tumbling through the backdoor and into a different sort of adventure. He hadn’t let go of her hand since the left the library. It was bliss.

He wanted to show off again. He would go deeper, splash around a little bit. Show her how long he could hold his breath. Only he misjudged several factors, and somehow, inexplicably, Ezekiel Jones was submerged and couldn’t un-submerge himself. 

He thought his foot was caught in something, but he couldn’t quite tell. His lungs were starting to burn as he thrashed, trying to kick himself loose. He wondered where Cassandra was. He hoped he wouldn’t die - that’d be a pretty shitty date for her. 

He couldn’t hold his breath any longer and his primal instincts forced his mouth open in a deadly gasp. Immediately, he was coughing, letting more water in. He felt himself starting to fade, and going a little stiller. He was tired.

A hand grabbed his arm and hauled him loose. He felt something snap from his ankle and suddenly he was free.

When he broke the surface, he was coughing, gagging, heaving up all the salty water in his lungs. She was holding him tight, steadying him, as though she was afraid she’d lose him. 

He realized she was crying. She hit his arm angrily when he stopped coughing, as though she’d been waiting for an opening. “You jerk!” she sniffled. “You scared me.” She hugged him tight. He coughed a little more, but he smiled.

It was nice to know she cared. 

“We’re going back to the Library right now,” she declared. “And I’m gonna Google how to take care of someone who almost drowned.”

He didn’t mind her leading him back to the beach. He was kind of used to her taking care of him now.

_1\. Post-Operation_

He was so relieved to hear she was alright, he didn’t even care that he shed a few tears. Or a lot. It was admittedly a lot. 

He held her so tight, even though she was very weak. She was bald and she was worried he wouldn’t think she was beautiful anymore - that Estrella wouldn’t think she was beautiful anymore. But he reassured her that her hair wasn’t her only beautiful trait, and while she was sleeping one day, he bought her a lovely wig. 

She cried when she saw it. They were doing a lot of crying, those days. 

He slept beside her a lot, to fetch anything she ever needed. She needed a lot of things but he was happy to help, to care for her how she’d cared for him so many times before. 

She was always hurting, so he tried to make it better, any way he could.

He was, in short, a better boyfriend than anyone ever anticipated Ezekiel Jones could be. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth the work. 

It was worth all the work in the world to watch her get better. And he knew he’d care for her whenever she needed.

**Author's Note:**

> A very happy birthday once again to my dearest. I hope you enjoyed your fic! And I hope the rest of you enjoyed it just as much. Feel free to leave a comment and to tell me what you think.


End file.
